A Smith Ranch Spring Break

Well, here I am, smack in the middle of a very uneventful (though very healing) spring break. I'm coming out of a crafting/sinus-related illness/working out/30 Rock bender in order to blog a little bit about the past week and half. I've successfully crossed a few more things off of my 400 goal list.

First and foremost (or, "first and formal", as Ell Bell says), I went on a Drake Law visit last week. It eased my anxiety to tour a law school knowing for sure that I was wanted there (and wanted with a scholarship!). My lovely, patient, all-around wonderful uncle Todd chaperoned my visit, which I was so grateful for. For some reason, I feel incredibly overwhelmed on these "recruitment" visits. After my day at Iowa Law last fall Adrian had to help me out of my brand new business attire ensemble while I bawled my eyes out and told him between sobs and snotty sniffles that I could not handle the law school admissions process. Luckily for Todd, I did not need any assistance disrobing or reassurances after Drake. The school, while not as prestigious as Iowa, is just so practical. I loved it how all of the students were getting started on a legal career, not just in class, but out in the city of Des Moines (and even in the STATE HOUSE, yea!). I feel very comfortable accepting Drake's offer for admission for now, and deciding between the two law schools in the state of Iowa should the choice present itself.

I enjoyed the rest of my time at the Lisa and Todd Schuelka residence in Ames, and returned home to the Smith Ranch in Spirit Lake on Friday evening. I was so excited because my lovely friend Cait came home with me for the weekend, and I went out for the first time in my hometown. We had a gay old time playing with the cute baby lambs and our three hulking Golden Retrievers, and of course...DOING CRAFTS!!! My mom taught us a fun and extremely simple craft she hasn't done since the 80's. The supplies required were 1) a styrofoam egg, 2) fabric scraps, and 3) a metal nail file with a pointed end. Below you can see what we created...




Basically, all you do is lay a little piece of fabric on the egg, then use the nail file to punch it into the styrofoam around the perimeter of the fabric. I found this oddly satisfying, and I completed nine of them, in almost as many hours. Something about stabbing those eggs was very fun. Now I need to create a basket or nest for them to create an Easter display. I'm also working on an Easter banner/garland thing, which I'll chronicle tomorrow when I (hopefully) complete it.

Since Cait left on Sunday, I've basically been doing my own thing: sleeping heavily, doing my couch to 5K runs (which are kicking my ASS, even on the less-impact gravel roads), making things, reading another Bill Bryson book (this time The Lost Continent, not as funny as Thunderbolt Kid, but good), and teaching Ellie how to use Facebook (a questionable decision, at best). Speaking of Ell Bell, I'm really happy with the time we've gotten to spend together this week. In the absence of our troubled teenaged sister Emily (yes, all E names here), Ell Bell and I have been able to enjoy each other without a lot of extra fighting, yelling, or ruckus. This is mostly due to the fact that I secretly am also still a child. Without the need to defend Ellie from Emily or otherwise mediate their disputes, I'm free to be Ell Bell's fellow nine-year-old gal pal. Ellie's "fort" of round bales of hay in our barn was a stage for my Hannah Montana impersonation concert last night(which, by the way, if I had any sense at all I'd be pursuing professionally), a source of ridiculous amounts of giggling and general humiliation from Ellie. We also fed the bottle lambs together, and let me say that if there is a cuter thing on this earth than bottle feeding a baby lamb, I'd like to know about it.



Being at the farm gives me so much perspective. I can't say that it's easy to balance the young adult-to-parent hierarchy all the time or that I love every second of being home, because that's not the case. However, something about being out of Iowa City helps me emotionally reorganize my priorities. After a few days away I realize what, and who, is important and healthy in my life, and what/who is fat to be cut away (meat seems a particularly relevant metaphor when I'm at the Smith Ranch).

With that, I will finish off this entry and get some quality rest for my big day of a) crafting, b) shopping for bridesmaid dresses for my friend Sarah's wedding, and c) schoolwork...HAHA or not.

Things left to Read, Make, Do, Learn=98, 87.5, 88, 94

Come to me, Spring Break

I have some goodies on the way for a full 400 goal post later this week, but for now I'd just like to list the reasons I'm excited to go home for Spring Break.

1) Because of my Drake Law visit, my break is extended into an eleven-day long blissful respite from the drudgery of my current life situation in Iowa City. I'm very excited to head to Drake and finally make law school seem real. I'm also excited to have a lovely escort for my visit, my uncle Todd, who will also be providing me a place to sleep (at the Schuelka family's lovely home in Ames). I'm very happy as well to get some quality time with the Scheulkas and hopefully see my friends Donis and Boz and their lovely baby Mavin.
2) I will get to cuddle my favorite nugget, Ell Bell Smith, who is astoundingly turning ten next month. We will also be strategizing our summer debauchery.
3) This is the first time I will be twenty-one and in my hometown. I've never even seen the inside of most of the townie bars where I'm from, so I have some catching up to do. I'm planning a full Saturday night with my girlfriends, my mother, grandmother, maybe some local gays...it should be ridiculous. There's also a shady strip club where some guy was kicked to death a couple of years ago (defending a stripper's honor, no less, on her FORTIETH BIRTHDAY. I kid you not) that has $30 all-you-can-drink specials. Maybe I'll pop in for a gander at some C section scars and a heaping dose of sadness...not.
4) One of my IC girlfriends is coming home with me! I can't wait until she meets my weapon-toting, brief-sporting father, Curtis. Last time I was home my dad "heard noises in the night" (me, the only one still awake at eleven thirty) and walked downstairs to check it out, brandishing his new handgun. Hopefully, like this instance, he again holds fire if we startle him next week.
5) Crafting. I cannot WAIT to unleash my fury with some hot glue, fabric, yarn, whatever I can get my hands on. I fully expect to be blogging my ass off about all of my wondrous creations.
6) Reading. Very excited to dive into some goodies I've been hoarding, and maybe finish godforsaken Empire Falls once and for all.
7) Getting some sleep. Between school during the week and going out on the weekends, I have not been getting adequate shuteye.
8) Seeing all of the animals--three dogs (Ruby, Hondo, Ginger), sheep, chickens, even the mangy and disgusting outside cats
The beautiful Ruby Smith is pictured below with Ell Bell and I.

9) Seeing all of my friends and family! My grandparents, my girlfriends, my girlfriend Kim's twin babies Isaac and Lukas. It will be a lovely reunion.
10) FOOD. Home-raised/grown/produced meat, canned goods, eggs, honey, maple syrup. You name it, it's better to eat at my parents' house. That's a lie, I guess you couldn't "name" vegetarian food, seafood, or ethnic food, but by God you could mention good, old fashioned American meat and potatoes-based meals.
11) Blogging. Get excited, readership of nine.